It seems everyone is jealous of Mizzou's Dennis Gates

Missouri basketball hasn't exactly been an SEC powerhouse since joining the conference. In fact, they have the second-fewest wins in the SEC, just one ahead of Vanderbilt, since becoming a part of the conference. Despite their uneven production, it seems that fellow coaches value the Tigers head coaching position fairly highly.

In a survery done by the Field of 68, Missouri had the eighth-most desirable job in the SEC, ahead of teams like LSU, Auburn and Georgia. The coaches were given no criteria to make their judgements, but is apparent that NIL played a large role in desirability.

Check out the full rankings below.

Tigers receive surprisingly high ranking in coaches job poll

Dennis Gates and the Tigers just landed a top-five recruiting class for 2026, and while Mizzou's on-court success has been limited, there's no question they can still attract elite talent. Gates is an excellent recruiter, and while Mizzou's budget is unknown, it's obviously not at the bottom of the league.

Beyond facilities and fanbase, money was a driving factor in how coaches voted.

“There are so many football schools in the league. Kentucky is really the only clear-cut basketball school. Plus, they had $20 million, their fans are always locked in and the administration has no choice but to support basketball at the highest level," said one coach about the No. 1 school Kentucky.

“Money. I know it’s not a basketball school, but they still have the money to go get dudes," one coach said of Texas' high ranking.

“They care about basketball, have an incredibly passionate fan base and have a ton of money," another said of Arkansas.

Gates is 70-53 at Missouri, a respectable record, but there's certainly been a lot of meat left on the bone. Still, it's clear that Mizzou's investment into their basketball programs hasn't gone unnoticed.